New Mexico lawmakers discuss self-driving cars

Self-driving cars could be on our roads in just 5 years. USA TODAY's Chris Woodyard takes a look at what it's going to take to get the roads ready.
Video by Robert Hanashiro and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY

Autonomous cars are emerging as a major growth driver for NVIDIA.(Photo: Getty Images)

SANTA FE - A state lawmaker asked his colleagues on Tuesday to envision a future in which "self-driving" cars and trucks navigate New Mexico's roads.

People might start sharing vehicles more often — either with carpooling or through ride-booking services — reducing the need for parking garages. Fewer collisions might reshape the insurance and medical industries. And state law would have to determine who's liable when there are accidents.

State Sen. James White, R-Albuquerque, led an hourlong discussion at the Capitol on Tuesday about preparing New Mexico for the future of autonomous vehicles. Some of the questions were mundane: Who gets a ticket if an officer sees a driverless vehicle violating the law? Others were more broad — like how autonomous vehicles might shape the development of cities and interstate corridors.

“This industry is moving much, much faster than the government can keep up with.”

State Sen. James White, R-Albuquerque

New Mexico doesn't have any legislation on the books addressing autonomous vehicles, but that could change in the next legislative session. Gov. Susana Martinez may add the topic to the agenda of the 30-day session beginning in January, said Tom Church, transportation secretary.

The federal government has proposed model legislation for states regulating the circumstances under which vehicle manufacturers can test and operate autonomous vehicles.

"This industry is moving much, much faster than the government can keep up with," White told members of the Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee, a panel of legislators.

White said the initial hope among supporters of autonomous vehicles is that they can improve public safety. The technology can scan the surroundings many times faster than a human can — and apply the brakes more quickly.

"They think they can save a lot of lives," he said.

White said he learned about autonomous vehicles — he even took a ride in one — during a recent meeting of the Council of State Governments.

New Mexico is one of several states that will participate in an experiment in the next few months involving trucks that communicate with one another and move in a "platoon," allowing them to stay close together on a trip, said Church, the transportation secretary.

In this Monday, April 25, 2016, photo, a man sits behind the steering wheel of a Tesla Model S electric car on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing. Federal officials say the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system has been killed in a collision with a truck, the first U.S. self-driving car fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said preliminary reports indicate the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla at a highway intersection. NHTSA said the Tesla driver died due to injuries sustained in the crash, which took place on May 7 in Williston, Fla.(Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)